Police tracking teams join the effort to find Roque

The Philippine National Police (PNP) has formed special tracker teams to apprehend former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque, who faces arrest after being cited in contempt by the House quad committee for refusing to submit documents related to his alleged connections to illegal Philippine offshore gaming operators (Pogos).

The manhunt, spearheaded by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), was confirmed by PNP Chief Gen. Rommel Francisco Marbil on Tuesday. “We have received the official request from the House of Representatives, and the PNP is fully committed to executing this order while maintaining our core principles,” Marbil said, emphasizing that the operation will be handled with professionalism and respect for due process.

“Our primary responsibility is to uphold the decisions of democratic institutions while ensuring human rights are respected throughout the process,” he added.

Roque was cited in contempt on September 12. The House sergeant-at-arms attempted to serve the arrest warrant at his law firm in Makati City, but Roque was absent, and his staff refused to accept the order on his behalf.

Laguna Rep. Dan Fernandez suggested that Roque might be avoiding the ongoing investigation into his alleged ties to Lucky South 99, a Pogo hub in Porac, Pampanga. The hub was raided on June 4 amid allegations of torture, human trafficking, and illegal scamming activities.

Roque, however, denied being a fugitive, accusing Congress of “power tripping.” In a live video posted on his Facebook page, Roque said, “I’m not a fugitive because I haven’t broken any laws. Congress may think I’m a fugitive, but I don’t care. If they’ve cited me in contempt, I think the people of the Philippines have cited Congress in contempt.”

On Tuesday, Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, chair of the House quad committee, criticized Roque for his “inconsistent stances” regarding the legitimacy of the inquiry. Barbers recalled Roque’s behavior during the 2016 House inquiry into then-Senator Leila de Lima’s alleged involvement in drug trafficking, where Roque criticized De Lima for labeling the investigation a “kangaroo court.”

Barbers questioned Roque’s stance, asking, “Where is he coming from when he calls the quad committee a kangaroo court? ”He further challenged Roque to submit the requested documents and face the panel rather than mock the investigation on social media.

According to a report by the Inquirer, Roque had twice attempted to quash a subpoena issued by the quad committee, which requested various documents, including the deed of sale for a lot in Multinational Village, Parañaque City, and his statements of assets, liabilities, and net worth (SALNs) from 2016 to 2022. The subpoena was based on circumstantial evidence suggesting that Roque’s company, Biancham, was linked to illegal Pogo operations. Biancham reportedly owns a majority stake in PH2, which owns the Tuba, Benguet house raided in June, where a Chinese fugitive connected to Lucky South 99 was discovered.

Barbers emphasized that these documents could have helped Roque “clear his name,” noting, “We don’t care about your net worth, but explain why the value of Biancham rose in 2018 during the peak of Pogo operations.”

In July, President Marcos ordered a ban on Pogos and directed their operations to be phased out by the end of the year.

Read related articles: Manhunt Launched for Harry Roque; Quad-Comm Head Claims Roque “Benefited From Lucky South 99”